Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Akira
is a Japanese Animation classic that was first screened in 1988. The animation
is based off of Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga Akira,
which incorporates the use of psychic powers amongst the characters. One of
the main characters, Tetsuyo obtains psychic powers and his friend, Kaneda,
another main character has to figure out a way to stop him from over taking the
city. The laws of physics are very similar to this worlds rules, because the
location of the film is set in Tokyo, and is still within the elements of
Earths rules. The rules of natural physics are often broken throughout the
movie to relate with the “super natural” aspects of the characters and
situations that occur.

Through
the movie, there is the works of low and high pressure interacting with each
other and the rules that apply to pressure. Yet there is no definite rule to
pressure within the film, there is a natural feeling to the use of the
characters powers because there is always a sense of suction. Not only is the
exposure of low and high pressure within the elements of using powers, there
are the simpler elements that apply to the physics of objects in motion. In the
scene where Kaneda is facing a rival gang leader, he challenges him to a game
of chicken on their bikes. Riding along the center line of the freeway, the two
bikers face off and barely miss each other, only to cause one to slide to the
side while Kaneda skids to a stop. The issue that can be noticed within this
scene is that with the higher pressure outside of the bikes as well as the low
pressure following behind them, there should have been a rebound effect. This
observation may be wrong but with the high amounts of speed as well as the
amount of surface area penetrating through the wind force there would be more
of a drastic result instead of sliding to the side but an actual incident
similar to losing control of their vehicles. In later scenes, there are more noticeable
pressure changes that affiliate to the use of super natural powers.

The
main focus of the film is based on the use of super natural powers and their
effects on their surroundings. In most cases with the use of special powers,
the pressure change could be seen through the use of wind effects as well as
surrounding debris. The first time the main character, Tetsuyo uses his powers
is when he is in the other patient’s room getting payback for their previous
teasing. In this scene Tetsuyo later on uses his powers to shoot out from the
room, creating suction from the absence of his presence. Also later on in the
film, there is a larger subject that is scene to display the exposure of low
and high pressure creating suction. Within the last climatic scene of the film,
there is a great explosion, similar to an atomic bomb exploding, but with this
effect there is suction as in everything is drawn to the center like a black
hole. Despite the expansion of the explosion, everything still is pulled to the
center as well as in the end, everything zeroes into the very center where this
episode ends without an actual outburst. Despite the use of pressure, gravity
is greatly affected and played with throughout the film.

Within
films, the use of gravity gives the feel of solidarity, where the characters
are contained by the rules of gravity like all people are, so that gives a
center of connection between the audience and characters. In the first scene
introducing Takashi, one of the young children with psychic powers, he creates
an explosion, shattering glass of nearby buildings to fall down to a group of
on lookers. The glass itself falls too slow to display realism, especially
after the initial impact which is fast and sharp. There are other objects in
this scene that falls consistently to the first initial impact, but it is
believed that in order to make the scene feel more effective, the contrast of
timing was used with the shards of glass. Also when it comes to using their
power, a character with special capabilities can levitate and move objects
despite their size and weight. An example of this can be noticed in the scene
when Kaneda first discovers more about his powers, he uses his powers to throw
large objects at people as well as using bursts of energy to channel objects at
people. There was also another scene when he did this and it was with a fight
between himself and a female lead, Kei, in which they both were somewhat equal
in strengths of power. The only limitation one can believe in due to this
technique is that they could not levitate or throw a building. Not only are
objects through about or in the air, but also characters have the ability to
fly.

All
characters with special powers have the ability to fly . The first introduction
of flying was noticed in the scene when Tetsuyo was facing off the three other psychics
, The sense of flight was easily accepted in the movie because also there was
the use of flight through other means and it felt that it as a normal setting,
especially after the fact that this film was set more in the future, and also
that it was already clear that a person with special powers would have the
ability of flight. In a way it is expected in more animations and films that
anyone who has a special power should at least be able to fly to a degree. Also
the characters with powers are able to walk on top of water like it is glass.
This was revealed in a scene where Takashi is retrieving Kei from the other
characters by guiding her to walk on top of the water. Gravity just doesn’t
have any effect on anyone who has powers, but for normal people there are still
the basic rules of physics.

There
is realistic physics involved in the movie but in order to convey the effect of
super natural powers, the boundaries of realism is pushed. Some forms of basic
natural physics that one can recognize is simply, inertia as the bike gang ride
through the streets of Tokyo on their bikes. As Kaneda is racing through a
tunnel, there was a fire, which resulted in a fire extinguishing system being
activated. Kaneda had skidded to an abrupt stop which almost tossed him to the
side. Also another incident of making a sharp abrupt turn resulting in sliding,
is when Tetsuyo is racing after a rival gang member but losing his balance by
turning in at a curve too much to cause him to slide and keep moving in the
same line of motion. Other natural applications of physics relate to how with
angle and weight, speed is increased with motion. In a scene that involved Kei
defending herself against armed policemen, Kaneda is seen running down a steep
slope, leading him to pick up speed and eventually tackling the office to fall
into a sewage ravine below. Just with the basics of physics, can anchor the
story to make it feel realistic, but what also makes a film are scenes that are
just unnatural that makes you think of how it would be to be involved in such a
situation.

The
last climatic section of the film dealt with the destruction of a portion of
Tokyo. Reality is pushed to the degree that there is no real defined sense of
gravity and speed of motion. The main character Kaneda was pulled into the core
of the explosion, and he is literally floating through space and time, causing
an unbalance of time and gravity as objects fly about and crumble at different
speeds. The irregularity of the scene is what creates the mood for the ending,
the unknown of endless possibilities. The end of the film itself is left open for that
reason, because the director/writer wanted the audience to decipher their own
ending to this film.

Akira can be a rather confusing movie to
watch, but the push between realism and
surrealism is what makes it interesting. Having physics pushed to unrealistic
settings benefited the story because it would feel unconvincing if everything was
naturalistic yet t he characters have super natural powers. The laws of physics
in this film are applied to the affiliation of gravity, pressure and realism,
displaying a wide range of action between characters and the environment within
scenes.

Within the movie Akira, the laws of physics are very similar to our own,
yet they are broken from time to time that relate more to the “super natural”
aspect of the characters.

II. Body

A.Low and High Pressure

1.In the scene where Kaneda is facing off a rival
biker gang leader, they play “chicken” with each other, leading them to ride
the center line of the high way and face off, Kaneda wins simply based on the
principle that his bike his more efficient and high tech, yet they both would
have dealt with some difficulties.

a.With higher pressure surrounding the bikes as
they drive towards each other along with the lower amount of air pressure
created from their speed, there would have been a vacuum effect between the two
of them, playing a role of a whipping effect as soon as they pass each other.

2.In the scene that Tetsuo makes his escape to
find Akira, there is a suction from the great amount of speed he produces. As
if from when Tetsuo uses his powers to levitate the debris surrounding him, he
creates a source of lower pressure about his form as everything else is at a
higher pressure.

3.The last scene of the film

B.Gravity

1.In the first scene introducing Takashi, one of
the young children with mental powers, he creates an explosion from the buildings,
which in turn shatters glass to fall down to a group of onlookers. The glass
itself falls too slow to display realism, especially after the initial
explosion which is fast and short, the transition between the two is very
apparent but is clearly used to enhance the scene itself.

2.When it comes to using their power, the
character with special capabilities can levitate and move objects despite their
size and weight against gravity.

a.The scene when Kaneda first discovers more of his
powers within the Baby room within the government facility , he creates vacuums
as well as channels energy to throw and levitate large pieces of debris.

3.Characters with special powers are able to walk
on water as well as fly.

a.In the scenes when Takashi retrieves Kei at the
channel, he is walking on the water as well as Kei because of her own special
capabilities.

C.Purpose

1.There is realistic physics involved in the movie
but in order to convey the effect of super natural powers, the boundaries of
realism is pushed.

a.The climatic ending for the film, has the
combination of pushed reality in a sense that the main character Kaneda is
floating through space but with inconstant speed as well as an unbalanced sense
of gravity as objects are flying about the scene.

III. Conclusion

The effect of physics being pushed to unrealistic
settings help and benefit this movie. If
everything was of a more natural feel,
the story would be dull and unconvincing of how the characters have
super natural powers.

Blog Archive

About Me

I am an Animation/Illustration major at SJSU. I am working on focusing on enviroment design and maybe even maya.I can't help but enjoy trying new things as in when it comes to art. I also am very family oriented so the support of my family and friends has brought me up to this point in my career so to speak. One thing I may say that I like most about this choice of career is that, despite the long hours and hard work, it is very rewarding as well as brings me to see the world different.